Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Scones
Sorry to be so sporadic with the posts lately but we've had a ton of family stuff in the last week--visits from out of town friends and relatives combined with trips to possible wedding venues, shopping for wedding gowns and celebrating pretty much each and every day, left with me little time to sit at the computer and share. Hopefully, this'll be a calmer week!! Anyway, before all the craziness started, my daughter and I spent a hot and sweaty hour in our favorite blueberry patch. It was about 95 degrees with 100% humidity and as we drove home laden with 11 pounds of berries,, cranky, tired and thirsty, we were both asking ourselves, "was it worth it?" One bite of these amazing Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Scones (and a shower and some icy cold drinks) and the answer is a resounding yes!!! These scones, filled to the brim with fresh berries, are truly spectacular!! Totally worth all that dehydration and misery!!
Recently my son and his fiancé were in Ireland and England so scones have been on my mind, but not the leaden tasteless ones sold by some delis and bakeries that masquerade as the real thing, but these light, buttery, flaky ones that make you understand why scones have such a huge following. They're irresistible!!
The tried and true combination of lemon and berries is a real winner and the addition of the cornmeal adds just that little bit of crunch and umph that takes these miles away from ordinary.
Plus, they're surprisingly easy to make and very forgiving. There's nothing neat or fussy about these. The more craggy and homey these look, the better!
Yup, worth every hot sweaty berry-stained-finger moment!!
Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Scones
Makes 8 scones
You will need a food processor for this.
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes; Bake Time: 16-20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 5 ⅓ tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and frozen for 15 minutes
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 ¼ cups fresh blueberries
- 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
- Demerara sugar for sprinkling
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Place the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until blended. Add the chilled butter and process until coarse crumbs appear. Dump the mixture into a medium sized bowl and form a well in the center. Pour the cream into the well and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently stir the flour mixture into the liquid. Add the blueberries and very lightly knead the dough a few times, until it comes together (you don't want to squish the blueberries too much or work the dough until too much or the scones won't be flaky and light).
3. Lightly flour a board or countertop and turn the dough out onto it. Pat it into an 8-inch round. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut it into 8 wedges and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least an inch apart. Brush the scones with the egg wash all over the to and sides and sprinkle generously with the demerara sugar.
4. Bake the scones for 16-20 minutes, until light golden brown. Let the scones cool a bit on the sheet on a wire rack and serve warm. These are best on the day they are baked but still very yummy for a few days. Store them well wrapped at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Flavorful by Tish Boyle.
